I created this blog site to expose the scam artists, crooks, and their tactics that prey on honest hard working people on craigslist. I encourage you to share your stories and experiences with other people so that we may better serve the craigslist community, by making it a safer place.

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How to Spot a Scam

Wednesday, February 24, 2010

Mike Nelson is a scam artist who also uses other names. However, his real name is Ola Ray, a Nigerian who was recently in the United States. This individual was traveling from Maryland to California in early January of this year. While we cannot verify if he is still in the USA, we have uncovered his mode of operation; mailing fake checks with false return addresses. Time is running for this loser and we will continue to post updates.

Monday, February 22, 2010

This tired old scam never seems to go away, so perhaps shining the light on these roaches will flush them out. There are alot of people who have been affected by the downturn in the economy. Many are out of work and are desperate to put food on the table. As such, some shady businesses are more than eager to prey upon those who are down on their luck. One such company is LA Sports Marketing.

At LA Sports Marketing its the same song and dance. This company boasts about its' professional relationships with major league teams, but in reality they are nothing more than a door to door solicitation service; selling coupon books, oil change gift cards, or whatever "promo" they have for that day. Of course they do not offer a paid salary, instead they prefer you to work solely on commission. This company is not even remotely associated with the professional teams they claim as their clients. In otherwords this is a pyramid scheme company.

Sunday, February 21, 2010

Hi all I am reporting an experience that I had with a seller of a car listed on craigslist. The seller's ad is posted below, but what struck me is that the seller does not mention the car has blow back, which means oil spits out of the top of the engine, and that it is a SALVAGE title. Salvage title means that for whatever reason (mostly accident) the previous owner's insurance company considers it a total loss, a piece of junk, and it is essentially worthless. This seller plays dumb and tries to fool would be buyers about condition by not disclosing key problems... Watch out for this guy.

Wednesday, February 17, 2010

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) finally comes to terms with employment scams. For those who have been following this blog for nearly two years, you know that we have been lobbying hard for the FTC to take a harder stance against fraudulent businesses practices. Today we are pleased to announce a major victory in our fight against scam artists.

The Federal Trade Commission said Wednesday that it is cracking down on con artists who target the unemployed with bogus job placement and work-at-home scams.

The consumer protection agency said it has asked federal courts to shut down seven entities charged with peddling such schemes and to freeze their assets.

The Justice Department has pursued criminal action in 44 additional cases and state attorneys general are pursuing 18 more, FTC officials said.

The agency is also increasing its efforts to educate job-seekers on avoiding the scams. Any advertisement or pitch that promises job listings in return for a fee or promises a business opportunity in return for an up-front investment is likely fraudulent, the agency said.

There are 14.8 million jobless Americans, the Labor Department said earlier this month, almost double the 7.7 million out of work when the recession began. There another 11 million people who are working part-time but would prefer full-time work or who have become discouraged and given up on their job searches.

Among the seven cases announced Wednesday were charges against a company called Entertainment Work Inc. that listed jobs for television and movie extras. The company "deceptively claimed" that in return for a membership fee to its Web site, job-seekers would find work near their homes in the entertainment industry, the FTC said.

The company has agreed to an interim court order halting its alleged misconduct, the FTC said.

Another company, Abili-Staff, sold work-at-home job listings for $29.98 to $89.99 and falsely said the fees would provide access to more than 1,000 "scam-free" work-at-home jobs, the agency said.

The FTC pursued another company, Career Hotline Inc., earlier this year that Cathy Willburn, a resident of Grandview, Texas, bilked her. She lost a job in October 2008.

Willburn, who participated in the FTC's press conference, said she responded to a classified ad last June that promised jobs as forklift drivers and other warehouse work.

Career Hotline told her that it helped fill jobs for Fortune 500 companies, Willburn said. Once she paid an $89 fee so she could access its list of jobs and be working in 14 days.

Willburn borrowed the money and paid the fee but never heard back from the company, even after she left messages saying she was out of work and couldn't afford to lose the money.

Friday, February 12, 2010

Many people use Craigslist to buy a reasonable car... However, these individuals offer great cars at low prices, then feed you a story about how their family members died in iraq or giving birth or what not, and you could have this great car if you just pay the shipping (we have all heard the story before).